The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Model Madness Realm

Model Kit Review: Lindberg’s 1:72 scale Captured Alien Attacker, (Kit #77311)

(Page Two)

While the top and lower portion of the aircraft were setting in place, I went about assembling the other three sup-assemblies: the Weapons pod and the two “engines”. I initially sanded and dry fitted all three sub-assemblies until the fit was as good as it was going to get, (before being glued together). Next, I glued the three sub-assemblies together, using the strong liquid cement “Plastruct”. I used clothespins and tape to hold them in place while they dried, and put them aside.

Back to the now connected hull section. I first primed (with Gunmetal), and over-coated (with the Pontiac Engine Blue Metallic) the “lip” area just connected. Then, I went about painting, by brush, Model Master’s Jet Exhaust, Steel, Chrome Silver, and Gloss Black colors to the various areas on the ship’s hull, using the instructions and box photographs as a guide. Since Model Master’s bottled paint comes very thick, I diluted it with Model Master’s Airbrush Thinner, until the paint “flowed easily” when applied.

Once this was completed, I went on to the most “work-intensive” area on the model: the rear area. The model has “ridges” on both the top and bottom back ends of the aircraft. With the model’s design, the ridges located on the bottom are made up of two sets, found on both the bottom and top hull halves. (Still with me)? The problem is that these ridges on the bottom do not line up straight. There is a BIG, noticeable gap between them. I contemplated whether I really wanted to build up the 14 individual gaps that existed and sand them smooth, or just leave them alone. I finally decided on a third option - To cheat! With my trusty X-acto knife, I sliced off the small ”trailing edge of ridges”, (deciding to show the major ones only). I cleaned up this area (with sandpaper, putty and more sanding).

Next, this ridged area needed to be painted Brass. The area is full of nooks-and-crannies. Because of this, and since the Model Master brass paint I was using is a metalizer paint, I was forced to mask off most of the aircraft, (top and bottom), leaving the rear ridged area exposed for painting.

After masking, I airbrushed the brass on, giving it several coats. One of the characteristics of Model Master’s metalizer paints is that they dry rather quickly. Because of this, I did not have to wait long before applying a second and third coat.

Once the painting was complete, I set the main assembly aside and went back to the three sub-assemblies. They were puttied and sanded down, (where necessary). The one major problem here was with one of the objects the instructions calls an engine, (which is actually the launch tube for the nuclear missile). Because of the lack of a good mold, the concentric circles found inside the front end did not line up very well. A VERY NOTICIBLE SEAM existed going up and down its middle.

After spending some time contemplating whether I should take the time to try to putty and sand these very small surface areas or just ignore them, a flash of insight hit me: I had been looking at a plastic film canister on my desk and realized that if I was able to cut out a circular piece from the middle of the bottom end, I could use it to hide the seam. After three unsuccessful attempts, I was finally able to come up with a pretty good circular piece, which was glued in place.

At this point, I primed and painted these three sub-assemblies, and set them aside to dry. Once dry, I glued them onto the now dry hull assembly, and waited for the glue to set. Once set, I finished painting the last remaining areas requiring it, along with doing paint touch-ups.

At last, (since there were no decals to apply), I was DONE!!

(Conclusion)

The tasks I had set out to accomplish with this project were accomplished: I was able to re-visit both painting by brush, along with using a spray can. I was able to apply quite a few different types of metallic and metalizer paints to my Alien Attacker, with their contrasts blending in well with each other.

I was able to complete this project very quickly, (much faster than I originally thought), in around 9 days. I guess having a very simple kit containing only 14 pieces, no interior detail, and no decals helped out a bit here. In addition, even though I completed the model quickly, I still eliminated all (o.k. most) of the existing seams, along with coming up with several "unique solutions" to getting around the two most glaring ones. Surprisingly, I ended up with a model that came out far better than I expected. Finally, I really had a lot of fun along the way! With this in mind, I have already scoped out my next “fun” modeling project.

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